The Latvian Parliament decided on Friday, 31 October 2025, to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. President Edgars Rinkēvičs vetoed the bill, and it will therefore return to the Parliament for further consideration when the next parliament is elected in 2026. The National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK and the National Union of University Students in Finland – SYL call on the Parliament to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves and to respect the pan-European convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

The Istanbul Convention is a key human rights treaty of the Council of Europe. It obliges states to prevent and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence, to protect survivors, and to hold perpetrators to account. The Convention also aims to remove all forms of discrimination against women and to promote genuine equality between women and men. The Convention has been ratified by 39 European countries, and all EU Member States have at least signed it.

International agreements are the cornerstone of trust in society. They ensure continuity beyond parliamentarian cycles and provide predictability in people’s everyday lives. Withdrawing from international agreements weakens both the position of survivors and international confidence.

“We are facing a situation in which one EU country is, for the first time, turning its back on survivors of violence. This marks a departure from European values: human dignity, equality and the right to safety,” says Mantė Žygelytė, Board Member of SYL.

Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention in 2021, after which women’s organisations in the country have reported an increase in violence and a weakening of the authorities’ response to violence against women. This trend is deeply concerning. The more states withdraw from the Convention, the harder it becomes for others to uphold their commitments.

Figures from Finland show that work to eliminate violence cannot stop. According to research by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (Eurostat 2024), Finland is the most unsafe EU country for women. More than half of women have experienced violence, and one in six has been raped. This demonstrates how essential the Convention is. Its implementation must be strengthened across Europe, not dismantled.

“Unity is Europe’s strength and the backbone of the student movement. SAMOK and SYL express our support for the Latvian National Student Union, Latvijas Studentu apvienība (LSA) which is strongly against withdrawing from the Convention. We stand together against violence and discrimination. Human rights are not up for compromise by withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention,” emphasises Ilona Hirvonen, Board Member of SAMOK.

More information
Ilona Hirvonen, board member
+358 45 809 4116
ilona.hirvonen@samok,fi

Mantė Žygelytė, board member
+358 44 906 5005
[email protected]